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jurisdiction. The Commission arrived at a decision on this question in September, when it determined that all armaments and armed forces, with the exception of atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction, should fall within its jurisdiction. There has also been disagreement on the question of whether disarmament should be proceeded with independently and without delay (the view of the U.S.S.R.), or whether it should be considered in relation to such other factors as the prior ratification of the peace treaties with Germany and Japan, the establishment of United Nations Armed Forces, and the international control of atomic energy (the view of the United States and the United Kingdom). Discussion has continued on the general principles of disarmament, but during the period under review there has been no indication that the important differences outstanding between members of the Commission will be resolved. MISCELLANEOUS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 1. International Trade Organization The year ending 31 March, 1948, has been particularly noteworthy for the continued and untiring efforts of a large number of countries to achieve, in consultation with each other, agreement as to measures designed to expand employment and world trade. To this end a Preparatory Committee, appointed by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations to prepare the ground for the convening of a United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment, met in Geneva for its second session from April to October, 1947. The United Nations Conference itself met in Havana, Cuba, from November, 1947, to March, 1948. The deliberations and conclusions on both occasions were of vital importance to such countries as New Zealand, whose trade pattern is of a character that is particularly sensitive to external influences. The New Zealand delegations to both conferences took a prominent part in ensuring that the international agreements gave adequate recognition to such important factors as the need for full employment and a high and steadily rising level of effective demand. In particular, New Zealand has emphasized the necessity of providing safeguards and assistance in cases where national economies are still in a developmental stage, and of maintaining unimpaired New Zealand's special trade relations within the British Commonwealth of Nations. The Department of External Affairs shared in the considerable preparatory work involved in briefing the New Zealand delegations, and before and during the Conference was called upon to advise upon questions of international legal or political importance.